What is JacketFlap

  • JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans.
    Join now (it's free).

Sort Blog Posts

Sort Posts by:

  • in
    from   

Suggest a Blog

Enter a Blog's Feed URL below and click Submit:

Most Commented Posts

In the past 7 days

Recent Comments

Recently Viewed

JacketFlap Sponsors

Spread the word about books.
Put this Widget on your blog!
  • Powered by JacketFlap.com

Are you a book Publisher?
Learn about Widgets now!

Advertise on JacketFlap

MyJacketFlap Blogs

  • Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.

Blog Posts by Tag

In the past 7 days

Blog Posts by Date

Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: meg cabot, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 79
1. Meg Cabot's Royalty



Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel

From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess

Wahoo! Princess Mia is back! It's a few years post-college and she's trying to juggle the antics of her grandmother and father, her charity work, and her royal commitments. Sadness though! Mr. Gianni (the math teacher her mom started dating in the first book) died a little bit before this book takes place. :(

The big press speculation is why hasn't Michael proposed yet, but hey! as you can probably guess by the title, he does! And then they have to deal with the headache of letting Grandmere anywhere near the wedding plans.

More complicating factors:

1. Her dad was arrested for driving his new race car (at race car speeds) down the highway
2. Her dad is going to lose the election for Prime Minister
3. Her dad has another child, who's been living out in Jersey that no one knew about.

Plus, Mia's usual insanity.

Honestly, if you like the Cabot, especially The Princess Diaries this is a good one to pick up. I love seeing Mia as an adult--she has really grown and matured while still being Mia and I'm excited that the new middle grade series will let us see where her life goes!

Speaking of the Middle Grade series, even if you don't read the rest of the series, I recommend reading From the Notebooks along with this book. There is MAJOR plot overlap, but it's from two different sides. I love the scenes where Mia is thinking "OMG, I've ruined this girl's life" and Olivia is thinking "OMG! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

Olivia's track is also going to be very different than Mia's (how/why is a major spoiler so just trust me on this one) so I'm excited for the series in general.

Books Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Meg Cabot's Royalty as of 6/29/2015 11:30:00 AM
Add a Comment
2. Knitting, Pinkerton's, Finishing School, & a Princess

I finished three books since this weekend.  No, make that four. The Detective's Assistant




 And here they are:

The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan.   Just plain fun!  Cornelia Warne is dumped with her uncle's widow, Aunt Kitty Warne, after everyone else in her family has died.  Aunt Kitty blames Cornelia's father for the death of his brother Matthew, her husband and does not want a 12-year-old hanging around.  Kate - as Aunt Kitty prefers to be called - is Pinkerton's first woman agent.  Based on the real Kate Warne, this book is a romp!  Traveling around the eastern US in the days right before Abe Lincoln's inauguration,  Nell, as Aunt Kitty decides to call Cornelia, ends up helping the Pinkerton's in several cases.  Nell's letters to and from her best friend, Jemma, who fled to Canada to escape slavers, add background painlessly.  American history delivered up with a lot of fun and some suspense and sadness, too.

Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger.  Sophronia Temminick has a new weapon, the steel bladed fan - so fashionable!.  She also has a dilemma of the heart.  Should she choose Shoe, the sootie of entirely the wrong social class and race?  Or go with Lord Felix Mersey - he of the influential Papa and Pickleman leanings?  When Sidheag, one of Sophronia's closest friends at Madame Geraldine's, runs off to Scotland because of a huge family crisis (involving the death of a Beta werewolf and a renegade pack), Sophronia, Dimity, Soap AND Felix steal a steam train to help Sidheag's journey.  Things get drastic and deadly serious toward the end. 

Boys Don't Knit by T. S. Easton.  Through no fault of his own - well, hardly - Ben Fletcher is on probation.  He has to "keep a journal" - which he already does! - learn a craft or trade, and do community service.  The craft class offerings at community college are a bit slim.  He chooses knitting since the teacher is the hottest single female teacher at the high school.  And he finds that he is a natural at knitting.  It's so calming.  What Ben needs is calming.
Ben's parents, extremely messy home and daft friends, stress Ben out in a major way.  Add to that his tendency to take AS courses in math and science and his OCD leanings and you have one anxious teen.  And then there is Megan!  Does she like him or not??  He likes HER!  He has to keep his growing knitting mania a secret from his dad and everyone else.  But he's just sooooo good at it.
After you get past the corny behavior of Ben's dad and mom, this book is laugh out loud funny.

From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot.  Olivia Grace Clarice Mignonette Harrison is about as normal as a 12 year old girl can be - except for the dead mom and invisible Dad and incredibly long name.  Dad writes every month but Olivia has never met him.  Ever.  When the sixth grade queen bee, Annabelle, challenges Olivia to a fight after school and accuses Olivia of being a princess, Olivia is stunned.  But, yeah, she is a princess and half-sister to Princess Mia of Genovia.  And, there are some allegations of serious wrongdoing on the part of Olivia's aunt and guardian.
       The premise of this series is every bit as awkward and unbelievable as the premise of the Princess Diaries but, you know what?  The audience for these books will not care. In. The. Least.  Cabot's writing is effortless; the pages turn themselves.  If you want to escape from middle school worries, girls, here's the book for you.
 From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess

0 Comments on Knitting, Pinkerton's, Finishing School, & a Princess as of 4/22/2015 3:05:00 PM
Add a Comment
3. My Writing and Reading Life: Jen Calonita, Author of Flunked

JEN CALONITA has interviewed everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Justin Timberlake, but the only person she's ever wanted to trade places with is Disney's Cinderella. She's the award-winning author of the My Secrets of My Hollywood Life series.

Add a Comment
4. Exploring the Careers of Famous Authors: INFOGRAPHIC

author careers blinkboxWhich authors do you admire most? The team at blinkbox books has created an infographic that examines the careers of several famous authors including J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Meg Cabot, Stephen King, and Haruki Murakami. For each author that is listed on this image, their “breakthrough” novel is highlighted.

Both Douglas Adams and J.R.R. Tolkien hit it big with their debut novels, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit: There and Back AgainF. Scott Fitzgerald became well-known at age 30 for his third book, The Great Gatsby, while Leo Tolstoy achieved great success at age 42 with his sixth title, War & Peace. We’ve embedded the full infographic below for you to explore further—what do you think?

blinkbox books author careers infographic

Add a Comment
5. What's New with Meg Cabot


<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE <![endif]-->

From the Desk of
Meg Cabot

Dear Readergirlz,
 
Happy Birthday! Wow, I can’t believe it’s been SEVEN years!  You’ve blown me away by all the work you’ve done promoting literacy (especially female-centric literacy) since I last chatted with you (about my YA stand-alone, How To Be Popular).

Since then, I’ve introduced readers to several new YA and adult series (including new installments in my Heather Wells mysteries series!), as well as my first series for middle grade readers, Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls.

This seems hard to believe, too, but 2015 will be the 15th anniversary of my first YAs ever, The Princess Diariesand The Mediator: Shadowland. Time sure does fly. I like to think that those series (like your site) helped do their part to spark the current surge in popularity of YA (especially female-centric YA)!

So since 2007, I’ve also been focused on giving back to my readers all around the world, not just with books, but by contributing my income from a number of anthologies to benefit organizations like Reading is Fundamental, UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), and the public libraries of New York City. I also donated all my proceeds from the novel Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis, Princess of Genovia (with a little help from me!) to Greenpeace.  You can read all about it here.

Anyway, like I said, keep up the great work, Readergirlz, and happy birthday! May you have many, many more.

Love,
Meg Cabot

Bonus: Little Willow interviewed Meg Cabot for rgz in 2008. Watch the video below, or click here!

Add a Comment
6. Help me market my novel

My comedic novel set in a pet shelter was unleashed upon the world last July.

Here's the good news. Reviews have been almost universally excellent - three and four stars on Amazon and Goodreads, and even a very nice one from the pros at Kirkus. So, great, right?

Well, not exactly. Truth is, I'm just not selling many books. Here's the dilemma, no doubt one faced by many self-published authors. I'm not reaching my audience. If the book had lousy reviews - or even no reviews - I'd give it up. But people LIKE it, and many absolutely LOVE it.

So I'm seeking help: I need some fresh ideas to market the book without bankrupting myself.

Before you start to make suggestions, I'm going to outline what I've done so far.

Social Media
Twitter: I've strategically acquired nearly 70,000 Twitter followers, most of whom are animal lovers and/or avid readers. I promote the book regularly on Twitter, and send new Twitter followers a welcome message containing a link to the book on Amazon. Plus, I engage my readers daily with witty, fun, thoughtful content. And Twitter, my friends, has been the sole successful effort to date. Nearly all my readers come to the book via Twitter. I definitely need to diversify, which I'm trying to do. Read on.

Facebook: Created separate Facebook page for the book, and post there as well as on my regular page.

Goodreads: Contacted top reviewers, mainly women, and requested reviews. A few did so, with mostly glowing reviews. Results: some sales, I guess. Not tons.

Amazon: The mother of them all. Like Goodreads, sent review requests to top reviewers who seemed a good fit. Again, received great reviews. Enough to generate business? Nah.

Pinterest
: Have a bunch of followers there, and the book is part of my profile.


Women's interest e-newsletters

Sent the actual book or link to Amazon page to: Daily Candy, Pure Wow, Urban Daddy, Fab, Joyous, Hello Giggles (Zooey Deschanel's site) and Rookie. Guess the outcome.

eBook Reviewers

Sent review requests to People, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle and even The New York Times (now there's a waste of postage).

The Dodo

This is in a category all its own. I read in the NYTimes that founder of BuzzFeed was funding his daughter's new animal focused website The Dodo. So I sent said daughter a copy of the book, and The Dodo featured a story I wrote about my dog on the site, with a link to the book's Amazon page. Guess I sold a few extra copies the days the story was featured.

Bookstore Readings
Did readings at two local stores. Frankly, don't have time to pursue this further and doubt it would do much for me.

Blurb and PR requests
Sent copies of the paperback to around sixty celebrities who are known animal lovers (yes, including Ellen DeGeneres) and to chick-lit writers, asking them to write a blurb for the book - or even, in some cases, option it for the movies. Yes, I have delusions of grandeur. Result: I received a lovely, handwritten note from author Meg Cabot, informing me that she was no longer doing blurbs, but wishing me luck, and - TA DA - an envelope containing nothing but an autographed picture of Charlize Theron.

Charity Tie-In
I approached animal oriented charities - ASPCA, The Humane Society, PETA and the World Wildlife Fund - offering to donate to them a percentage of the profits from sales of the book if they would promote it on their websites. All turned me down, though PETA does have an online store where I can list the book for $500. I'm considering it.

Pet-oriented businesses
I sent copies of the book to PETCO, Petsmart and a few other national pet supply stores to see if they would carry the book. All declined. Also tried a few local independents - same result.

Vets' offices
I tried my local veterinarian's office,which is part of the VCA chain. They said they couldn't make the decision to carry the book, and that I would need to approach VCA's national headquarters. I did so, and contacted the other big veterinary chain, Banfield, as well. Never heard from them - and yes, I did make follow-up phone calls.

Pet-centric writers
Sent copies of the book to a few columnists who write about animals. Nada.

What I've considered and haven't done
Placed copies of the book on subway seats and airport waiting areas with a note asking finders to post reviews and/or spread the word any way they could in exchange for the free book. Any thoughts on this?

So, bottom line. I've done every free thing I can think of. Please share with me your ideas (whether more unpaid things or things I'd have to pay for) so that I can help my little baby find the audience it deserves. You can post here or email me at [email protected].

HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, BOUGHT ANIMAL CRACKER, OR MAKES A SUGGESTION.


0 Comments on Help me market my novel as of 3/2/2014 10:26:00 AM
Add a Comment
7. Abandon

Underworld Meg Cabot

Picking up *right* where Abandon left off.

Pierce realizes that she does actually love John. She gets to know a bit more about the world that is the underworld. But, she has visions of horrible things happening on Earth, especially to her cousin Alex. Of course, when she and John barge in to save Alex, they have to deal with the aftermath of their exit at the end of the first book.

We learn lots more about the Underworld and how it works, also about John's back story. (Mutiny!) And about what Uncle Chris went to jail for and the back story there. (Turns out the Rectors have been a bit smarmy for generations!)

I love Pierce, although I wish she would let people finish a sentence once in a while (John, too). It might get them in a bit less trouble. But, once again, cliffhanger ending.

It's a page turner with some truly excellent new characters (Team Mr. Liu!)

It's going to be a trilogy. The first one follows so close to the second that I felt a bit out of place as I tried to remember minor details. I have a feeling that all three books will read more like one long book than three separate books that build a unifying arc. Frankly, my advice is wait until next spring when the third one comes out and then read them all at once. It'll make the intervening months that much easier to handle.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Abandon as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
8. Mediator: Shadowlands

Shadowland Meg Cabot

This is Book 1 of The Mediator series.

Susannah talks to the dead--she's a mediator and helps them move on to the other side-- usually with a punch or, if that doesn't work, an exorcism. She's just moved to California from Brooklyn because her mom remarried-- she likes her stepfather but isn't overly fond of her stepbrothers or California. But, her new home has a few surprises-- Susannah's bedroom is haunted by Jesse, a super-hot ghost who's been hanging around for 150 years or so. Her school also has a ghost-- the very angry spirit of the it girl who's death opened up the enrollment spot Susannah filled. All Heather wants is her life back. Susannah's school also has Father Dominic, who just also happens to be a mediator but with a much more gentle touch than Susannah's.

Susannah is the epitome of Cabot's trademark sarcastic voice. Overall a nice girl, she does have an edge and doesn't have the time, energy, of inclination to deal with high school mean girl politics-- she has some ghost ass to kick. She always has the perfect one-liner comeback. There's some slight sizzle with Jesse and with Heather's ex-boyfriend (which just angers the ghost even more) but nothing too swoony. I expect things with Jesse will heat up over the course of the series. The final battle with Heather was a bit underwhelming BUT I think of this as more of a set-up novel for the rest of the series. I get the sense that Susannah's younger stepbrother David knows/sees more than he's willing to voice (even to himself.) Also, I think Susannah has a lot to learn from Father Dominic and I'm interested in seeing that relationship develop.

That, and I love love love love Susannah's voice-- she's now one of my favorite Cabot characters. Lucky for me, I have many more books in this series to read!

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Mediator: Shadowlands as of 5/28/2012 9:24:00 AM
Add a Comment
9. Best Young Adult Books with Forever Young Adult

Best Young Adult Books: Top Picks from YA Bloggers in the Know, #2

By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 9, 2012

We asked the sassy ladies at Forever Young Adult (you know Sarah, Jenny, Erin, Meghan and Megan) to choose the five books they’re most anticipating reading this spring and summer. A website devoted to all things YA, Forever Young Adult consists of five women who say they haven’t yet grown up. They write a mix of book reviews, movie analysis, TV posts and fashion, all with a hefty dose of sarcasm and hyperbole, that can be found at foreveryoungadult.com. We’ve enjoyed reading their hilarious accounts from everything to an obsessive love of Dolly Parton to their guilty confession about secretly reading novels by Nora Roberts.


 

At Forever Young Adult, the only thing we love more than new books is an early summer vacation in which to read those books.  Here are five books that are piled at the very top of our suitcases.

Underworld

By Meg Cabot

In this second book of Meg Cabot’s Abandon series, seventeen-year-old Pierce Olivia is being held captive in what we’re pretty sure is hell.  Not metaphorical Hell.  Actual Hell.  Her captor’s the mysterious (and scorching hot) John Hayden, who claims that he’s keeping her safe from the malicious Furies haunting Pierce’s life.  But can John Hayden be trusted?  And can Pierce manage to escape Hell for a second time?  This book is from reigning YA Queen, Meg Cabot, so expect a lot of humor, some super-swoony love scenes and an ending that has you begging for more.

Ages 14 and up | Publisher: Scholastic, Inc | May 8, 2012

When You Were Mine

By Rebecca Serle

In this refreshing twist on Shakespeare’s classic play, author Rebecca Serle explores the perspective of Rosaline, the girl Romeo kicked to the curb after he met Juliet. Heartbroken after being dumped by her long-time crush, Rosaline must pick up the pieces and redefine herself, even as tragedy unfolds around her. Set in present day, this novel is a deeply compelling look at adolescent identity and transformation, and Serle manages to breathe new life into the cliché of star-crossed lovers. Every character’s voice hums with authenticity, and the romance is intense enough to make even Shakespeare jealous.

Ages 14-17 | Publisher: Simon Pulse | May 1, 2012

Add a Comment
10. Ransom My Heart

Ransom My Heart Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot and I love romance novels, so I had pretty high expectations of a Meg Cabot romance novel.

Eh.

Finnula's sister Mellana is with child. The father is a troubador and Mellana's spent her entire dowry on dresses, so Finnula needs to get money for a dowry, and fast. The tomboy huntress does what she is loathe to do, take a noble hostage and ransom him.

Little does she know that the noble she's captured is really the Earl of Stephensgate, returned from the Holy Land. Little does he know that she's been married before. (Minor spoiler) To his father.

And of course they fall in love with each other but there are obstacles intermixed with the sexy times.

So here's what surprised me-- Meg Cabot can write a good kiss that makes you go weak at the knees. She's done it a million times. But her sexytimes fell a little flat.

It just didn't have the same spark and wit that I've come to expect from her work. I suspect that it's because this was written at the beginning of career and never published. She's a much better writer now.

There is a tie-in with this book and Princess Diaries. In Forever Princess, Mia writes a romance novel for her senior project (and tells everyone it's a history of Genovian olive pressing so no one will want to read it. Except Michael, because he's Michael and *swoon*) Anyways, supposedly this is the romance novel that Mia wrote. But, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to fans of Princess Diaries. It's not as funny and it is a full-fledged bodice-ripping (well, it would be if Finnula would wear a dress and therefore a bodice) romance novel. It's very different, so be warned. But that wasn't my complaint. I knew what it was. It just wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Ransom My Heart as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
11. Literary Agent Offers Advice for YA Authors

In the “Pitching An Agent” feature at mediabistro.com, literary agent Laura Langlie gave aspiring YA writers some hints on how to pitch her agency.

Langlie represents author Meg Cabot, Meg Tilly and others. She founded her own literary agency after years of working in publishing, including six years as an agent at Kidde, Hoyt & Picard. Check it out:

Langlie sees a lot of young adult (YA) and middle-grade fiction writers who talk down to their readers. “People have this misconception that writing for children is easy. A middle-grade or YA novel is simply a novel for that age level. It still has to have great characters and a great story arc. You have to try and remember what you were like when you were that age,” said Langlie, who represents Delia Ray (Here Lies Linc) and others.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment
12. Teen Idol

Teen Idol Meg Cabot

Everyone likes Jen Greeley. She smooths everything over, she's a unassuming and just... nice. She's the mayonnaise that holds the sandwich of her friends and high school together. People like her so much that she's the secret person behind the school's paper super-popular "Ask Annie" advice column. She's also chosen to be student guide for a new transfer student. Only... Lucas isn't any transfer student-- he's a teen actor who's going undercover to learn what high school is like for an upcoming movie.

Classic Meg Cabot. Luke and Jen become friends, which means that Jen's actual crush Scott thinks she's taken. Only, Jen doesn't realize she's in love with Scott. Readers and everyone else does, but Jen doesn't. Either does Scott.

And then, of course, everyone finds out Luke's real identity and it all hits the fan.

I really liked Luke's reactions to high school. He thought the high school he knew from movies and TV was exaggerated-- he didn't realize that it was even worse in real life. His outsiders prospective also goads Jen into taking a stand and making some serious changes-- everyone liking you means you have some social capital to use. I also really liked that none of Jen's drama was overly self-created. I think some of the change she's able to spearhead is a bit far-fetched, but I liked Jen a lot-- she was strong with enough uncertainty to still read as "real."

Classic Cabot. Love.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Teen Idol as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
13. Overbite

OverbiteOverbite Meg Cabot

it's been 6 months since the action at the end of Insatiable. Meena and Alairic are just collegues. Lucien has completely disappeared. Meena's on to a theory that Lucien can still be good but Lucien has found the Minetta stream under Manhattan and is drawing evil power from it. He's been too weak, but he feels it's time to full embrace his title of Prince of Darkness. Meena's can't deal with all of that right now though, because a rising star new priest has arrived from South America and the politics and policies of the Palatine Guard are about to explode in a major way.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Insatiable-- not as much sexual tension (which Cabot tends to do really well) and not as much of Meena using her gift of death prediction, or as much of the supporting cast. It's also just a lot shorter--it focused mainly on one plot and I missed some of the side stuff that could have been fleshed out more. THAT SAID, I still really did like it. It was a nice end to the story (I don't think there will be anymore) and I liked the working in of the Minetta Stream (a real thing!) and the book of days. It just all seemed a bit... rushed. I almost wish that she would have stretched the story out more, added some more major battles and made it a trilogy.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

0 Comments on Overbite as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
14. James Patterson Combines YA & Adult Book Trailers

Author James Patterson recently released a novel book trailer: promoting his YA novel and his adult thriller in the same television commercial.

In the book trailer embedded above, Patterson shares the spotlight with an animated version of Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life‘s protagonist . As the video explains, Middle School was written for a YA audience while Now You See Her is an adult thriller.

Many authors write for both young readers and adults. Melissa de la Cruz‘s first adult novel, The Witches of East End, included appearances from characters her Blue Bloods YA series. Meg Cabot recently released Overbite, a sequel to her adult vampire story Insatiable. Last April, she also published the first book in her YA trilogy, Abandon. Who else can follow Patterson’s example?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment
15. Meg Cabot’s OVERBITE


Best trailer for a book…ever! Meg Cabot‘s OVERBITE (funny the way that sentence can be misleading) comes out this week. It is book two in the INSATIABLE series and continues to follow the adventures of Meena Harper.

OVERBITE SUMMARY:

Meena Harper has never rebuffed the love of a god (unless you count the prince of darkness). But she’s always felt as though her gift was a curse, because no one’s ever believed her when she’s told them they were going to die . . . .

Until now.

Meena’s been asked to work for the Palatine, a powerful secret military unit of the Vatican mandated to guard human beings from demon possession, and to obliterate all demon life forms from the planet. The Guard has recently opened their first division in lower Manhattan, and Meena Harper is their new secret weapon. With her ability to predict how-and sometimes when-the living are going to die, the Palatine finally have an advantage over their undead enemy.

Reporting to Abraham Holtzman, head of Manhattan operations, and partnered with Alaric Wulf, the most accomplished of all demon slayers (who happens to greatly appreciate how Meena looks in a short, black dress), Meena is taking her new job seriously. There’s just one small problem: None of the guards in the Palatine’s Manhattan unit seems to like-or trust-her.

Meena can’t understand it. Sure, her ex-boyfriend is the biggest baddie of them all, Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But their affair ended the night he destroyed St. George’s Cathedral-and, everyone believes, himself.

With the prince and his minions gone, the need for Meena’s predictions has never been greater. An even more vicious enemy has arisen, one that never dared cross the equator from their South American stronghold while the Dracul was in charge. They are the Lamia, the most feared clan of all vampire kind.

The Vatican has done its part-for once-by transferring to Manhattan Father Henrique, its youngest, most modern (and, thankfully, bilingual), Brazilian monsignor. He’s secretly dealt with more Lamia than anyone in the Palatine. But the press draws unwanted attention to him by dubbing him Padre Caliente (because of his sizzling hot good looks). Of course his appointment as pastor of one of New York City’s proudest accomplishments, the completely restored, soon-to-be consecrated cathedral, St. George’s, is a ruse. But is it a ruse on the Lamir, the public . . . or the Palatine?

As the date of the ceremony approaches, attacks by Lamir in North America begin to mount, and danger closes in. Meena’s best friend Leisha, whose baby’s arrival coincided with the destruction of the church, is powerfully drawn to the site. Meena’s fellow guards are increasingly vulnerable in the field, and only her daily predictions can save them from death. She’s won her colleagues’ respect-and maybe even the heart of one co-worker in particular-but not without drawing, for mysterious reasons, the attentions of Padre Caliente.

Yet no face will ever be more attractive to Meena than Lucien’s. As she begins to unravel the truth about his identity-and the fateful night the two of them last met-Meena’s loyalties will be tested, her true feelings laid bare.

Meena has always been everyone’s guardian. But this time, who will guard her?

Add a Comment
16. Heather Wells

Heather Wells Mysteries Meg Cabot

I thought I'd review all three books with one review. The books in question are Size 12 Is Not Fat, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, and Big Boned.

Basic backstory-- Heather Wells was a mid-list teen idol who was engaged to Jordan, one of the biggest teen stars (whose father also happened to own the record label.) When Heather wanted to start recording and singing her own music, the label and her fiance dropped her. Her mother then took all of her money and moved to Argentina. Heather is now living with Cooper, rent-free (well, she has to do the filing for his PI business). Cooper is the black sheep of his family and Jordan's older brother. Heather totally has the hots for him. She's also working as the assistant dorm-director to a private dorm of New York College because she will be able to take free classes so she can earn her college degree. She's also no longer teen pop-star thin. She's a size 12.

Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells MysteryIn Size 12 is Not Fat the dorm has a problem with elevator surfing (where guys break into the elevator shaft and ride the elevators and jump to other elevators...) When a student shows up dead at the bottom of the shaft, everyone rights it off as an elevator surfing accident. Except... Heather knows her students. Girls like the deceased don't elevator surf (in fact girls in general don't elevator surf.) More and more students are dying in "accidental" ways. Heather smells something fishy and if no one else is going to try to discover what's going on, she will.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (Heather Wells Mysteries)In Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Christmas (and winter in general) has caused Heather to go up a size. Then a cheerleader's head shows up

0 Comments on Heather Wells as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
17. Abandon

AbandonAbandon Meg Cabot

Two years ago, Pierce died. She hit her head, fell into a pool, and was dead for over an hour before the doctors could bring her back. Since then though, things haven't been the same. The adults in her life think she's slightly mentally unbalanced, and after what happened at her last school, dangerous. But Pierce knows the truth-- there's evil in the world and she can see it. She has to stop it.

After her mother moves her back to her hometown on the Isla Huesos (Island of Bones-- very much based on Cabot's current home of Key West) Pierce starts to discover more and more clues about what happened, and why.

So... this is based on Persephone. Basic premise is Pierce meets John (Death Deity) in a graveyard when she's young. When she dies, she sees him again. He gives her a pretty necklace. Pierce can't accept she's dead, runs away, and ends up back in the world of the living. John keeps showing up to save her from bad guys trying to kill her. And now Pierce has moved right on the gateway of it all (so... like Sunnydale's Hellmouth, but it's the mouth of all dead stuff, good and bad.)

So this is Cabot doing something a bit darker than most of what she does. It's not too twisted or dark or depressing and if you like Cabot, you'll probably like this, but just be warned, it's not funny (and it's not trying to be).

BUT! TOTAL CLIFFHANGER ENDING! Gah! That's how the 2nd book in a trilogy is supposed to end!* Not the first!!!!

I like how this takes a well-known myth and doesn't retell it, but uses it to go in a completely different direction.

I like the world Cabot has built and can't wait to explore it more. I really want to see what's going on with the A-wingers and why Pierce's cousin hates them so much.

I also like Pierce a lot. She's nice and strong, but has believable weak moments, so she seems more real. The tension between her and John doesn't overtake the novel (in fact, there could have been more). I like that she's dealing with some serious other stuff besides boys and her problems aren't of her own invention. She's troubled, but not annoyingly neurotic.

Also, I love that Pierce and her friends who are obviously the good guys are all in the New Pathways program, which is for troubled youth. Yay for a book that paints troubled kids as real kids with yes, problems, but they aren't the bad guys, even if the rest of town sees them that way.

Overall, I really liked it and can't wait to read more.

*This is a rule I learned when Boba Fett carted off Han's carbonite encased body at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. It's not a rule I like, but it's one I have come to accept. Luckily for me, when

0 Comments on Abandon as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
18. Lunch with a YA Trifecta: This is Teen with Libba Bray, Meg Cabot, and Maggie Stiefvater

Last Friday I was privileged to be included in a luncheon hosted by Scholastic Books and the New England Booksellers Association for YA writing sensations and all around awesome-women Libba Bray, Meg Cabot, and Maggie Stiefvater. The ladies were in town to visit the Wellesley Booksmith and to promote This is Teen, Scholastic's integrated teen community initiative, which works to unite teen

2 Comments on Lunch with a YA Trifecta: This is Teen with Libba Bray, Meg Cabot, and Maggie Stiefvater, last added: 6/20/2011
Display Comments Add a Comment
19. Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knows what happens to us when we die. That’s how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who’s made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before the accident—next to impossible. Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her. What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows… just like she knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven. But she can’t stay away from him, either, especially since he’s always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she let’s herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears most. And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her: The Underworld.

Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Source: Publisher

0 Comments on Abandon by Meg Cabot as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
20. Book Wish Foundation Compiles Y.A. Short Story & Poetry Collection

A team of authors have joined Book Wish Foundation‘s What You Wish For: A Book For Darfur project. Book sale profits will be donated to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), an organization building libraries in Darfur refugee camps in Chad.

Penguin Group’s G.P. Putnam’s Sons imprint will release the collection in September. If you make a donation of $20 or more before April 30th and your name (and your child’s) will be included in the book’s acknowledgment section.

Actress Mia Farrow, who serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has written the forward. The participating authors include: Cornelia Funke, Meg Cabot, R. L. Stine, John Green, Ann M. Martin, Alexander McCall Smith, Cynthia Voigt, Karen Hesse, Joyce Carol Oates, Nikki Giovanni, Jane Yolen, Nate Powell, Gary Soto, Jeanne DuPrau, Francisco X. Stork, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Sofia Quintero.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment
21. Happy Happy...a winner...and another giveaway!

To all of our Buzz fans, I want to wish you a Happy Passover and Happy Easter! Wow...is spring really upon us? I sure do hope so. We've been in Gettysburg for the last month...or as I call it, Wettysburg. I know April showers bring May flowers...those need to be some pretty stupendous flowers! LOL!

Some good news to share is the WINNER of my Meg Cabot book giveaway. A copy of AVALON HIGH CORONATION goes to...




************1110cg************


Congrats! Please e-mail me at marley_gibson AT yahoo DOT com with your name and mailing address.

Now...to this week's giveaway. (Isn't this fun?) I'm giving away a copy of my fellow St. Martin's Press author, C. C. Hunter's book BORN AT MIDNIGHT. The cover is reallllly dark and cool.



To enter the book giveaway, please leave a comment letting us know what you and yours are planning for the Passover/Easter holidays. Anything yummy to eat? Family traditions?

Hugs,
Marley = )

www.marleygibson.com
www.ghosthuntress.com

The next installment of the popular Ghost Huntress series
Coming May 2nd! Everything's not as it seems...
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY

18 Comments on Happy Happy...a winner...and another giveaway!, last added: 4/21/2011
Display Comments Add a Comment
22. Scholastic Launches ‘this is teen’ Virtual Book Club

Scholastic has partnered with SCVNGR, a location-based mobile gaming application platform, to create this is teen, a smartphone and Facebook-focused program to connect teens with some of their favorite teen fiction writers and books.

SCVNGR will develop book-related challenges at participating bookstores for this is teen users to solve with their smartphones; users will win points  and also enter prize sweepstakes. The Facebook page will launch on April 26th along with Meg Cabot‘s new paranormal trilogy, Abandon. The ‘this is teen Live‘ tour will hit New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Miami with authors Meg CabotLibba Bray, and Maggie Stiefvater starting May 24th.

Vice president of marketing Stacy Lellos had explained: “Our goal with ‘this is teen‘ is to create a destination and a community for readers—a virtual book club experience where the conversation starts with books. ‘this is teen‘ is about going where teens are and harnessing the connectivity of Facebook, the in-world exploration of SCVNGR, and the intensity that exists between readers and their favorite authors in order to create a fully interactive, reader-driven experience.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment
23. Buzz Girl Love

It was so awesome hanging out with the Buzz Girls in Los Angeles at the RT Convention. As others have said Teen Day rocked the house. We had a fabulous booksigning, then a party where teens, their friends and parents, joined over twenty YA authors for free books, pictures, and signatures. It was amazing to see the smiles on the girls' faces when they delved into their goodie bags of books to see favorite authors and new ones to enjoy.

IMG_20110407_213812

(Heather, me, Simone, Dona, and Tina in front)

It was also fun to hang with former Buzz Girl, Simone Elkeles, who is now a big time USA Today and New York Times bestseller. But she's still Simone...and her fans love her. She's a blast to hang out with and we miss her smiling typeface around here.

IMG_20110407_205313

(Tina and me with Simone)

Tina and I had a fabulous dinner with her. Here's a pic of my filet and shrimp....mmm....you know me and my foodie-ness!

IMG_20110407_191417

I, too, got a huge stash of books. Even accidentally packed "The Teachings of Budha" book that was in the hotel room. Oopsies! There were so many books around...who knew? There are just so many cool reads coming out this year (including GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY in 18 days!) that it's hard to keep up with everything.

IMG_20110412_220113

(My fur baby, Boo, modeling my stash.)

So, I'm going to give away my copy of Meg Cabot's graphic novel, AVALON HIGH-CORONATION. Just leave a comment in the trail here about books you're looking forward to this year and I'll pick a winner and announce next week.

Hugs,
Marley = )

http://www.marleygibson.com/
http://www.ghosthuntress.com/

Ghosts don't hang up their sheets after Halloween
GHOST HUNTRESS series - The Awakening, The Guidance,
The Reason, The Counseling - available now!

9 Comments on Buzz Girl Love, last added: 4/15/2011
Display Comments Add a Comment
24. Back from RT (and book giveaway!)

Last Thursday, Heather posted pictures and an update on the fun that the five of us Buzz Girls were having at the Romantic Times Booksellers Convention!

Here's one more picture, of our Marley Gibson with Knight Agency super-agent, Elaine Spencer (who just happens to represent both Dona Sarkar and me):


Saturday was TEEN DAY! Hundreds of teens and their adult companions joined the 1,000 or so readers already in attendance in a mega-signing that featured a football sized room full of romance authors. The Young Adult authors got their own row, making it fun for the readers and authors alike. (For instance, the alphabet being what it is, I got to sit between Simone Elkeles and Marley Gibson!)

Later came talks from YA authors, book readings, face-to-face chats, and finally, a teen party with a mega book giveaway. Great fun!

The one thing I felt I missed was something called Mr. Romance, where male cover models vied for that coveted title, because it conflicted with my author schedule. However, never one to let things totally pass me by, I did get to spend time with this hottie:


And on that silly note, please tell us in the comments the name of the super-hero that you'd like to meet, and be entered to win a copy of RANSOM MY HEART by Meg Cabot! The winner will be announced next Monday!

Good luck!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
www.tinaferraro.com

12 Comments on Back from RT (and book giveaway!), last added: 4/12/2011
Display Comments Add a Comment
25. More Pictures from National

Thanks to Stephanie Hale for opening our discussion yesterday about the Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando, Florida, attended by five of the seven Buzz Girls. (Next year we're hoping for a full house!)

Here are Steph and Tera flanking me in a picture Tera somehow managed to be in AND take (I am always inspired by multi-taskers):



Here stands me, Marley, Wendy and Tera, in a photo perhaps worthy of one of Marley's Ghost Huntress books:


And now replace Wendy with Steph, and add in the middle...oh...um...what's her name...(choke, sputter, gasp)... MEG CABOT.


Yes, *the* Meg Cabot. Looking every bit as warm, friendly--and gorgeous--as she is in real life. It was a thrill and delight for us to meet her!

That's it from me. Maybe some of the other Buzz Girls have pictures to share?

Tina

Tina Ferraro
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, 2010 Rita® Finalist
How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita® Finalist
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

7 Comments on More Pictures from National, last added: 8/6/2010
Display Comments Add a Comment

View Next 25 Posts